Washington DC - A Democratic member of the House of Representatives faces possible expulsion from the chamber after its ethics committee found her guilty Friday of diverting public funds into her campaign coffers.

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who denies the allegations, appeared Thursday in a public hearing before the committee.

After the session, Republican and Democratic members voted overnight to find that 25 of 27 charges against Cherfilus-McCormick "had been proven by clear and convincing evidence," according to a statement from the committee.

A federal grand jury indicted the 47-year-old politician, her brother, and others in November on charges that they stole $5 million of federal Covid-19 emergency funds, which were later laundered and spent on her campaign.

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Cherfilus-McCormick called the charges an "unjust, baseless, sham indictment" and insisted, "I am innocent."

Her trial before the federal judiciary is set to begin in April, and she faces up to 53 years in prison.

In a statement sent to AFP following the ethics committee meeting, Cherfilus-McCormick said: "I look forward to proving my innocence."

The Ethics Committee said it would meet again in April "to determine what, if any, sanction would be appropriate for the Committee to recommend."

The congresswoman could then face a vote before the full House on her expulsion, and several Democratic members could join the Republican majority in supporting it.

In December 2023, the House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos, a New York Republican found guilty of financial crimes.

After Santos spent a few months in prison in 2025, President Donald Trump chose to commute his sentence, saying Santos had been "horribly mistreated."